The stock market has been anything but stable recently. And unsurprisingly, that usually means our emotions haven’t been either. Financial freedom is tied to market performance, and when you start hearing about “down markets” or “recessions,” one question tends to come up in our nervous brains… Should I sell my stock? At its face it seems like a reasonable question. Afterall, if the market is headed for a prolonged downturn,…
Gen Xers are caught in quite the pickle. You’re sandwiched between your aging parents and restless teenagers, and feel the financial pressure from both sides. You want to help, but feel uncertain of where to start. So what do you do? In this article, we’re going to focus on how to prepare and launch your children. More specifically, we’ll zero in on how you can help them find their financial…
Helping Ukraine is the primary focus of many right now, and you may be rushing to direct your charitable giving to the country and its people. You may also want to aid businesses, schools, and organizations trying to recover from COVID-19. Maybe supporting weather-devastated areas razed from fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes is a top priority for you. Add in cause-driven and political contributions along with tithing to religious institutions, and…
Is inflation on your mind? It would be surprising if it weren’t. While we all have to weather inflation’s short-term effects, we have reason for optimism over the long term. Here’s a look at where we are right now. Inflation, labor shortages, and supply chains The effects of nearly two years of the pandemic compounded by the Omicron variant’s impact hamper economic recovery as we face labor shortages, supply chain…
Retirement contribution limits increase for 2022 Employees will be able to save more in 2022 with the IRS increases to retirement plan contribution limits. You can defer an additional $1,000 through payroll deduction in 2022. This means you can contribute up to $20,500. One way to accelerate your path to financial independence is to make sure you are taking advantage of the tax-deferred contributions and compounding growth available through your retirement plan(s). Which of these…
As we rapidly head into the last few weeks of 2021, now is the time to take care of any time-sensitive financial planning moves and get prepared for 2022. You may be able to reduce your tax bill, too, with some of these action steps. 1. Maximize your retirement savings You have until December 31 to make any last-minute contributions up to your limit up to $19,500. If you are…
Are you ahead of the game when it comes to achieving your financial independence? Has the unusually strong stock market boosted your wealth to the point where you think you could work less or stop working sooner than expected? Are you at a point where you are increasing your current or future lifestyle expectations? Maybe your experience is all of the above. If so, that’s an exciting feeling. The possibility…
When stock market performance outpaces expectations for an extended period, as it has recently, the anticipation of a market correction (a drop of 10% of more) can worry investors. But, should you be concerned? After all, significant drops in the stock markets are fairly common, as are rebounds and new highs. While market fundamentals play a large role in these fluctuations, so does investor sentiment. This makes it impossible to…
